He had felt a slight twinge of guilt seeing how frazzled Nabiki looked that morning when he tried to extract himself from her embrace. She'd grumbled a little, then fell back into a steady rhythm. Ranma quietly told her he had to get some training in and left her sleeping, hoping she'd feel better after some rest.
"Stop humming, boy!" Genma growled. Ranma looked at his Pops, lazily swerving past a punch. Had he been humming? He wondered why. The old man pulled a quick snap kick, and Ranma dropped to his knees. A rabbit punch caught Pops off guard and sent him hopping back on his good leg. Ranma leapt to his feet and danced around, forcing the older man to turn. Genma hobbled for a moment, waved him off.
"Not bad, boy." The old man's praise was grudging. Ranma shrugged and snapped up his bag to follow as Pops hobbled back to the path, trying to work out the kink. "You're humming again." The old man cast a disapproving glance back at Ranma. His Pops chuckled. "You' got a girlfriend you haven't told me about, boy?" Ranma frowned as the old man chuckled at his own joke.
-----
Lunchtime. Ranma picked a little at his rice. Pops didn't know about Nabiki. Pops would probably never know. Nabiki was his best friend. They'd had fun together. He'd gotten used to spending time with her. Did that make her his girlfriend? He'd like to ask, but didn't want to show up uninvited. Whenever he felt the tug, he went. He hadn't felt it all morning. He wondered why.
Nabiki.
Ranma looked up, watching his Pops shovel more rice down. He practically licked the bowl. "You done, boy?"
"Huh?"
"Guess you are. Dump the bowl. We've got to get moving."
"What's up?"
Genma looked around as he kicked dirt to stamp out the fire, as if expecting the crazy Chinese chick to jump out at them. "We're losing daylight." Ranma snorted, and the old man glared at him. "Listen to your elders, boy."
The two gathered their things and found their way back to the trail.
Nabiki.
-----
"Airen! Wo ai ni!" Ranma didn't understand a single word, but got the tone. It must've meant "get back here, you fat bastard". He'd wanted to say often enough. Ranma watched his Pops begin to outpace him. Ranma pumped his legs, nearly bringing his knees to his chest. Whatever he had to say about his old man, he could still impress Ranma when properly motivated. Pops flashed a hand signal. Split up. Ranma ducked into the bushes on the right. Genma went in the opposite direction.
"Airen!" The Chinese chick screamed. Yep. Definitely meant "fat bastard". Ranma made as much noise as possible. He'd meet Pops in the next village, but he'd draw the girl away first.
Branches whipped behind him and leave crunched underfoot. Ranma ran, and he could hear the girl following. Ranma was fast, but didn't know the lay of the land well. He stumbled and slid down a bank as he heard the chick leap into a tree behind him. Ranma fell back and slid the rest of the way down. He heard the tree groan as the girl launched herself. Ranma tumbled and rolled to his feet.
A quick sprint, bouncing off of trees, allowed the teen to increase the gap. He heard the burbling stream ahead and grinned. Ranma pressed himself harder, leaping for the water, leaving his clothes behind...
-----
And suddenly he was a girl, in the park, curled into a ball and resting on something soft and comfortable.
Ranma looked up, naked and wet, at Nabiki's beat red face.
Ranma blinked. "Hey," Ranma chuckled weakly.
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(Posted Mon, 16 May 2005 16:42)
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